Famovape Magma Review: 200 Watt Resin Mod

The Famovape Magma vape mod is another Dual battery Resin panelled box mod that seem to have been a popular finish on many vape mods as of late.

Some, like the Voopoo Drag and the recently released Drag 2 and Drag Mini are market leaders and are incredibly popular with vapers who seek a stylish and versatile mod.

The iJoy Shogun UNIV was also recently released that keeps to a similar design.

Just have a browse through any vaping website and I’m sure you’ll come across countless variants of a similar design. So what can yet another conventionally designed resin box mod bring to the market?

Famovape Magma Vape Mod

Famovape are a relatively new company on the vaping scene. The Shenzhen based company have previously released the Bit Box 218W resin box mod, the Yup RDA and the 25mm Fat Baby Mesh tank.

Their latest release, the Famovape Magma 200 Watt box mod looks to be aimed squarely at a market sector currently dominated by the Drag so just how does this newcomer stand up in a fairly crowded marketplace?

Let’s break it down and see if the Magma can hold its own.

The Famovape Magma 200 Watt mod was sent to me for the purposes of review. My thanks in no way will influence my opinion.

What’s in the Box

• 1x Magma 200 Watt Box Mod
• 1x USB charge/update cable
• 1x User Manual
• Warranty Card

Mod Specifications

• Dimensions: 87x49x25mm
• Material: Zinc alloy
• Display: 0.96 inch TFT colour screen
• Power range: 5W-200W
• Temperature range: 100C-300C/200F-570F
• Input Voltage: 1.0V-7.5V
• Max Output Current: 40A
• Battery: 2×18650
• Power Modes: Power/SS/Ni/Ti
• Atomiser Resistance Range: 0.08Ohm-3.0Ohm
• Wire Material: Nichrome/SS/Ni200/Ti
• USB Charge: DC 5V/2A
• Weight: 253 grams (including batteries)

Pre-release Issues

Early versions of the Magma were sent out to reviewers at the beginning of 2019 and some such as Daniel of DJLsb reviews on YouTube found a few issues with the mod, some purely aesthetic; some more serious and fundamental to day to day use.

The most serious issue was that of the 510 connection. Daniel found that after just a short period of use that the sprung loaded 510 pin within the mod effectively collapsed leading to a poor connection with the tank.

Famovape quickly responded and pledged to correct the problem on subsequent releases of the device. There were also issues regarding the TCR mode which the company admitted was basically a beta version and again promised to address the issue on the full release.

I was impressed by their detailed response to Daniel’s review but have they actually followed through on their positive words?

Design and Build Quality

One of the first things that struck me about the Famovape Magma was its size. It really is a dinky little thing especially for a dual battery device being closer in size to the internal battery powered Voopoo Drag Mini rather than the dual powered Drag 2.

In the hand it feels reassuringly heavy and as comfortable as any of its rivals with all the edges smoothed off.

The Magma is a zinc alloy framed device with two resin panels, one of which is the battery cover held in place with magnets. There are twelve different resin designs to choose from.

I was sent the Tiger Snake which is a honeycomb design overlaid over a striped tiger pattern. The resin feels very nice and smooth to the touch and of very good quality whilst the magnets are firm with very little battery door movement or rattle.

There is a cutaway at the base to slip your fingernail under to remove the panel to fit the batteries. The battery compartment is labelled with raised battery orientation symbols and has a battery removal ribbon.

The Magma logo appears on the non-removable side and isn’t in your face or offensive, a criticism I have of the Drag’s huge obnoxious logo. The device is available in a number of colour options.

The slightly raised control face features a circular fire button, colour screen, circular up and down buttons and a USB port for firmware updates and charging.

I would however, recommend using an external charger for safety and battery life. The buttons have a “clicky” feel and have no significant rattles.

On top, the off-centred 510 connection is screwed directly into the zinc alloy body and is sprung loaded. More on the 510 later.
The base of the mod features the Magma and Famovape logo and has battery ventilation holes.

All in all my first impressions are very positive. The device is certainly not revolutionary in its looks but the overall aesthetics are pleasing to the eye and comfortable in the hand. Size wise it’s perfect for slipping into a pocket without weighing a ton.

Menu

The chip in the device is very basic and easily mastered. Once the batteries are inserted a “Famovape” logo appears on the screen and the 2 second boot sequence begins.

It utilises the conventional 5 clicks on; 5 clicks off which features on most regulated mods. The device enters sleep mode if left for around 20 seconds. Pressing any button reactivates the device.

To select which you mode you want is simple. Just press the fire button 3 times and the mode menu comes up. The options are:

• Power/Wattage
• Nichrome
• Titanium
• Stainless Steel
• Bypass
• Screen colour.

The default colour is blue and the options are red, yellow and green. Selection is made using the up and down button and then confirming with the fire button. Pressing the up and fire button together locks and unlocks the device. This locks the power but enables you still to fire the device.

Power/Wattage Mode

The power mode screen displays dual battery indicators, atomiser resistance, wattage, voltage, puff duration and a puff counter. Wattage is simply adjusted using the up and down keys. The range is from 5-200 watts. Holding the button down cycles rapidly through the selection. However, the device does not round-robin when you reach 200 watts and you have to cycle back down manually.

TCR Mode

The temperature adjustment range is from 100-300C (200-600F) in 10C/F increments and like in power mode does not round-robin. Once you select your required temperature you then are given the option of adjusting your specific TCR on a sliding scale. Once this is selected the device returns to the home screen. Pressing the fire button twice will then allow you to adjust your desired wattage from 5-80 watts.

Each time you remove and refit an atomiser the device asks whether it is a new coil or not. The default is “new”.

Safety Features

• When no atomiser is connected and the fire button is pressed the device will display the “No Atomiser” icon
• If the fire button is held down for more than 10 seconds the device will cut out to prevent overheating and the “Cut Off” icon will be displayed.
• The device features a “Low Res” icon if the atomiser resistance is too low
  “Low Battery” icon appears on the screen when the battery output is below 3.2 volts
• If the internal temperature exceeds 75C then the “Too Hot” icon will be displayed
• The device features reverse polarity protection for incorrectly inserted batteries

When charging using the included USB cable (not recommended) the battery icons will blink and display the current charge. If the device is turned off when charging the battery indicator will blink and the screen will turn off when the battery is full

How Does The Famovape Magma Mod Perform?

Now before I begin I will state that I have had an occasional but still irritating problem with the Magma and it relates to that errant 510 connection which Daniel of DJLsb reported on YouTube.

Although it doesn’t come as a kit, I was supplied the Famovape Vector stock mesh coil sub ohm tank with the device. However, when I attached the tank the device refused to fire and displayed “atomiser short” on the screen. No matter how tight or loose I screwed the tank on it refused to fire.

The Vector tank performed fine on any of my other mods so I can only conclude that the problem was with the Magma. I then attached my trusty Dead Rabbit RDA on and it performed fine. For most of this review I used my Pyro RDTA and very very occasionally this also elicited a similar response…certainly not every time by any means but enough to give me cause for concern for the longevity of the 510 connection.

The off centred 510 connection may bother some but for me it was no problem.

The menu system is very easy to navigate and simple enough for a newcomer to regulated modes. However, every time you change the batteries the device defaults back to the blue backdrop which I found a little irritating. The puff counter suffers from a similar problem and is reset every time you change your batteries and cannot be reset in any other manner.

Another small niggle I had with the menu is that when you select your screen colour you also have to reselect your power mode rather than the menu just taking you back to the homescreen. A small issue but annoying all the same.

The power modes felt pretty true to the indicated level, i.e. 200 watts certainly felt pretty nailed on to a true 200 watt output.

I’m not a user of temperature control but from my limited experience the device seemed to perform adequately in this mode. I do find it curious why so many mod makers limit the wattage in TCR to 80 watts.

The battery life on the Magma is very good and a set of freshly charged Samsung 25R 18650s were lasting me a day of vaping with no problems. I did notice a decline in power as the batteries began to reach the cut out level but other than that the device powered consistently.

The buttons generally feel nice and firm in use with a reassuring click in operation. The lack of round-robin on the menu options was a little annoying but certainly not a deal-breaker by any means.

Overall the Famovape Magma functioned well for a mod in its class and price bracket. My main issue is that 510 connection. Is it really up to the job or will it break within a few months of use? Only time will tell I guess.

Pros

• Wide range of colour options and high quality of the resin panels
• Very compact for an external dual 18650 battery mod
• Clear and easy to navigate menu system
• Build quality is very good (apart from that 510) and the mod has no rattles from either the buttons or panels
• Good battery life
• Comfortable in the hand
• Fast fire response

Cons

• Questionable durability of the 510 connection with occasional “atomiser short” issue
• Off centred 510 may be an issue with some users
• Limited options on the menu such as resetting the puff counter
• Defaulting to factory colour scheme with every battery change
• TCR limited to 80 watts maximum
• No round-robin on wattage and temperature

Final Review Verdict

Ignoring the issue I had with the 510, particularly with the supplied Vector tank, I really enjoyed using the Famovape Magma mod.

It feels really nice in the hand and the resin panels have a silky smooth feel to them. The tiger snake design I received wouldn’t have been my first choice but the wide range of designs is sure to appeal to most resin lovers.

I used the mod daily at home and at work and apart from that 510 I had absolutely no issues whatsoever. The design is certainly nothing we haven’t seen before but why fix what’s not broken…you either like conventional box mods or you don’t, the Magma certainly isn’t going to change your mind.

All in all I’ve found the Magma a very pleasing bit of kit. The compact design and easy to use menu makes it a good choice for those who fancy a device like the Voopoo Drag but for whatever reason, don’t actually want to buy a Drag be it the large logo or occasionally dubious company practices.

Would I buy the Famovape Magma vape mod again if lost? I’d say a qualified yes if they address that 510 connection effectively. I was very impressed with their detailed response to Daniel’s review but words count for little in a crowded vaping market.